


Inge and the Vanir: the Lost Weapon

by Lancelot_of_the_revolution



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-11-06 08:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17936525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lancelot_of_the_revolution/pseuds/Lancelot_of_the_revolution
Summary: When Inge finds herself at the center of a mess of magic and Gods that she can't handle alone, she turns to Blitz and Hearth to help her on her quest.





	1. Chapter 1

“Where's Hearth?”

 

“Hello, Inge. Long time no see. How's your family doing?” Blitz said, trying to ignore the fact that he was talking to a friend-of-a-friend that he barely knew at two in the morning while still wearing his nightclothes. 

 

“Sorry-- hello, Blitzen, it's nice to see you again. Where's Hearth?” Inge was bouncing on the balls of her feet and drumming her fingers on her thighs in a way that gave Blitz the impression that she'd slammed about 6 espressos before coming over. 

 

“He's asleep, which begs the question--” Blitz stifled a yawn, “Why aren't you?” Inge had happened to start banging on the door while Blitz was up to get a glass of water, a decision Blitz was beginning to regret. 

 

“Can you please go get him?”

 

“Inge, it's two in the morning--”

 

“Please, Blitzen,” Inge looked at him with those wide, childlike, blue eyes, and spoke with a tone that told him that whatever Inge needed, it was important. Maybe even life and death. 

 

Blitz sighed, “Yeah, I'll go get him. Come in, I guess” 

 

It was, as always, a royal pain in the ass getting Hearth to wake up. The man slept like a log. Finally, fifteen long minutes later, the three of them were seated around Blitz’s kitchen table with coffee cups in hand (though only hearth had actual coffee-- Blitz and Inge both preferred tea). 

 

Inge attempted to make polite conversation while Blitz poured their tea, but Hearth was barely awake enough to have his eyes open and Blitz seemed to be ignoring her in the most polite way possible. In retrospect, perhaps this could have waited until morning. 

 

Too late to change it now, of course. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Hearth asked Inge once Blitz had sat down. 

 

Hearth's eyes were still not all the way open and his head was cocked. Inge thought back to all the nights in their childhood spent sitting in Hearth's room and talking through the few precious hours of peace they got when the house was asleep. Hearth's eyes then, tired like they were now, we only ever truly full of laughter in those late hours. Inge would never, never wish for those days to repeat themselves, but there were times when she found herself longing for the companionship that she and Hearth had once shared. Strange, the moments of paradise one tends to find when walking through hell. 

 

Inge shook away the thought, “I couldn't sleep,” she said, as though that in any way explained her showing up, unannounced, at her friend's apartment a universe away in the middle of the night. 

 

“The humans tend to use melatonin for that. Works wonders,” Blitz yawned again, “you should try it.”

 

Inge decided not to ask what melatonin was, “No, I mean… Okay, it's going to be hard to explain, but I have a really important problem, and it can't really wait until morning.”

 

“Well, what is it?”

 

“So…” Inge started chewing on the inside of her cheek, a nervous habit. She thought back to the events of the last couple weeks, trying to figure out where to start, “You guys know how to save the world, right?”

 

Blitz shrugged, “I wouldn't say we know how, really, more like it happened once while we were nearby.”

 

“if you're going to offer us another quest, I'd like to decline and go back to bed now.” Hearth was probably joking, but he still looked about as interested in world saving as Blitz was. That is to say, not in the least. 

 

“No, wait! Look, something… something big happened, and you two are the only people I know who know anything about this kind of thing. I need your help.” 

 

“What happened?” hearth asked. 

 

Inge glanced between the two of them, still unsure as to the best way to explain everything. Honestly, she knew next to nothing herself, it wasn't as though she could tell a story she didn't know. Finally, she elected to show rather than tell. She held her hand out, palm up, over the coffee table. Slowly, as if the damn thing actually wanted to be dramatic about the whole affair, the carved wooden ring on Inge’s middle finger morphed into a foot long stick of oak, smoothed and carved with faintly glowing runes. 

 

Hearth blinked, “That's new.” Inge knew that if he was more awake he'd be much more excited about this thing. 

 

“It sure is,” Blitz whispered, “Is that…”

 

“Gambanteinn? The legendary magic wand that's been lost for centuries? Uh, yeah, “ Inge gave a nervous laugh at how bizarre this whole situation was, “It is. It showed up in my purse two weeks ago with no explanation, and it won't leave me alone. And I think I need it, because there's something else, too--”

 

“Well don't be coy about it,” Blitz said, “What other magical artifacts do you have hiding over there?”

 

Inge reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a shimmering golden necklace, setting it carefully on the table. The necklace was made from plaits of braided gold inlaid with precious gems that slowly shifted in color and cut. The three of them watched as a ruby faded into a sapphire. Blitz’s blood ran cold despite his tea. His mouth went dry. 

 

“I had a dream that…” Inge took a deep breath. Here was the hard part, “I had a dream telling me to go to the river, the one near our old house?”

 

Hearth nodded, his eyes flicking back to Blitz every chance he got. 

 

“This was sitting on the bank. It's…”

 

“Brisingamen. Freya’s necklace.” Blitz whispered. 

 

Inge nodded, “Yes, that's the one. Lady Freya… If my dream was true, Lady Freya has been…” Inge was having a lot of trouble forcing the words out, “Lady Freya has been kidnapped, and I think she wants me to save her. I can't… I can't do that alone. Will you help me?”

 

Blitz didn't answer her question, really. Blitz stared at Brisingamen sitting on the table between them and spoke the only words he was capable of. 

 

“That's my mother's necklace.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You're a son of Freya?” Of course Inge didn't know, she'd never been told. She didn't exactly know very many dwarves, so she didn't have anyone to compare him to. Magnus had been surprised, too. 

 

Blitz nodded, his thoughts running far too fast to translate into words. Freya was kidnapped. She needed a hero to rescue her. And she picked Inge. Why Inge? How do they save her? Another quest! Good gods, not another quest! Who kidnapped her? Why wasn't he told about this? Did he care that he wasn't told? No, of course not! He was tired of playing errand boy for the gods, anyway-- and especially tired of playing errand boy for his mother. But why  _ Inge?  _

 

Inge, for her part, looked suddenly sheepish, “Oh, Blitzen, I'm sorry you had to hear this from me--”

 

“We aren't close,” Blitz said, still somewhat trapped inside his own head, voice hollow. He didn't even have the thought to sign, despite the entire rest of the conversation was in ASL. 

 

Inge looked like she wanted to question that notion, based on Blitz’s reaction, but she held her tongue. 

 

Instead, Hearth jumped in, “Who kidnapped her?”

 

“I'm not sure,” Inge said, “She asked for my help in my dream, but the background was foggy. I don't know where she is. That's why I need your help, we need to find her.”

 

Hearth glanced at Blitz, “Well, she's your mom,” he shrugged. 

 

“Okay, we'll help you,” Blitz said, “But you have to tell us everything you know.”

  
  


Inge was prone to nightmares. She'd had vivid, terrifying dreams for most of her life. 

 

This was different. 

 

She was running through the woods behind Mr. Alderman’s old house, being chased by… something. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she needed to escape. 

 

She pushed through the trees toward the place she knew as a clearing around a river, but where she expected her bare feet to find the grassy field they instead found a cool stone floor. The trees around her were now the looming walls of a large, dark room. On the opposite side of the the room stood an ornate, full length mirror.

 

The mirror wasn't reflecting the room around her, though. Instead, it shimmered with static like an old television. Slowly, Inge tiptoed forward to investigate the mirror. When she was close enough to to touch it, the picture shifted. Instead of static, the mirror now held the image of a beautiful woman in a wedding dress. 

 

“Finally you show up! You certainly took your sweet time with that nightmare, didn't you?” the woman said. The sound of her voice filled Inge with a sense of calm. The sight of her tight fitting bodice filled Inge with something else entirely. 

 

(Inge left that part out when she recounted the story to Blitz and Hearth.)

 

“I'm… Sorry?”

 

“You have no idea what's going on, do you, dear?”

 

“No ma'am,” Inge admitted, “I am still dreaming, right?”

 

The woman gave an airy laugh, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. No, those sky blue eyes were filled with an unmistakable terror. “You're still dreaming, Inge, but this is all very real. I need you to help me, will you do that?”

 

“Of course,” she said without hesitation. She added, “How do you know my name?” as an afterthought. 

 

“I'm the goddess of love, I know the name of every mortal. Especially the important ones.”

 

Inge fell to her knees, feeling like a complete fool, “Lady Freya!” she said. Of course the woman was Freya! Who else could she have been! Inge heard another airy laugh from the mirror. 

 

“Inge, I need you to listen very carefully, can you do that?”

 

“Yes ma'am,”

 

“Good. Inge, I'm in very great danger right now, and because of that so is every soul in folkvangr,” Freya paused, and Inge wasn't sure if it was because the next thing was hard for her to say or if she was just trying to build dramatic effect, “I've been kidnapped, and I need you to come find me. Do you accept this quest?”

 

“Yes ma'am,”  _ kidnapped? Quest? What?  _

 

“Good,” Inge felt a light hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Freya in front of her. Inge had thought she was pretty before, through the lense of a magic mirror, but now? Breathtaking didn't begin to describe the woman standing over her. 

 

“When you awaken, you need to find my necklace. It will help you find me. You can get some help on your quest, but try to tell as few people as possible-- we don't want everyone in the nine worlds knowing such a powerful goddess has been benched, do we?”

 

Inge couldn't for the life of her remember how to speak. Instead, she gave a vigorous nod. 

 

“And one more thing, dear,” Freya leaned in close, and Inge forgot how to breath as well, “Don't fuck this up.”

 

Inge was back in the clearing she'd originally meant to run in to, kneeling on the river bank. In front of her was a rope of gold and gems that inge instantly recognized as Freya’s lost necklace. 

 

Inge awoke lying in her bed, but it wasn't long before she was at the river bank for real, retrieving the lost necklace and planning her trip to Midgard. 

  
  


“My mom is such a drama queen,” Blitz said when Inge had finished recounting the story. 

 

Hearth nodded in agreement, “She didn't give us much to work with, either,”

 

“So where do we start?” Inge asked. 

 

“I don't know about you,” Blitz stood up, “But I'm going to start with a good night's sleep,”

 

Inge raised her hands to argue, but Hearth beat her to it. 

 

“It's still two in the morning,” Hearth said, “We'll figure this out tomorrow,”

 

They were right, of course. If this was so urgent that they'd need to set out right away, Freya would have said that. It wasn't as though anything was going to change in the next couple hours, and starting an expedition on only half a night's sleep hardly seemed like a good idea. Inge sank back into her chair, feeling a little deflated. 

 

When Blitz turned away from the table, Hearth gave him a slight nudge and nodded his head toward Inge. 

 

The silent conversation of glances and head tilts that followed seemed to boil down to answering the question,  _ What are we going to do about this crazy hulder in our kitchen?  _

 

“You can sleep on the couch, if you want,” Blitz finally sighed, “Who knows, maybe you'll have another dream about my mom,”

 

Blitz was back in his bedroom within seconds, leaving Hearth to provide Inge with blankets and pillows. 

 

“I don't think your friend likes me,” Inge noted after she'd set up the couch for sleeping. 

 

Hearth shrugged, “He's probably just tired.”

 

Inge wasn't so sure, but she decided not to press the subject. “goodnight, Hearth,”

 

“Goodnight.”

  
  


With the boys back in their respective rooms, Inge was left lying in the dark with her own thoughts. She didn't know what was lying ahead of her with this quest, but there was one the she knew for sure. 

 

Inge was absolutely terrified.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Inge didn't recognize the field she was walking through. There air was humid and sticky, but still quite cool. Wildflowers peppered the field in shades of blue, orange, and red. 

 

“I see you've asked my son for help,” Inge heard a voice from beside her. 

 

“Lady Freya!” Inge started to kneel, but Freya grabbed ahold of her arm and kept her standing up. 

 

“I'd prefer to walk and talk right now, dear, so stay on your feet.”

 

“Yes, ma'am,” 

 

“Do you know how to say anything other than ‘yes ma'am’?” 

 

“Yes, ma'am,”

 

Freya pursed her lips, “Then you should try sometime. It's sort of difficult to have a conversation when one party just says the same thing over and over.”

 

“I'm sorry, ma'am, it's just that I've never spoken to a goddess before, I want to be respectful.”

 

Freya started to unbraid her hair as she spoke, “You can be as respectful as you want, just don't be a robot. Anyway, that's not what you're here for.”

 

“What am I here for, ma'am?”

 

Freya shot her a deadly glare, “Inge I swear to Me if you call me ma'am one more time I'll turn you into a sunflower and accept my fate,”

 

Inge gulped, “But what is that fate? I mean, what are we saving you from?”

 

“I believe,” Freya said, gesturing to the wedding dress she was still wearing, “That my kidnapper intends to marry me on the first day of spring, in two weeks.”

 

“Aren't you already married?”

 

“I don't think he really cares about that.”

 

“Right. So where do we need to go?”

 

“That's just the question, isn't it?” Freya combed her fingers through her newly loose hair, “I've no idea where I am, that's why you need to find me.”

 

“You don't… You don't know where you are? How?”

 

“Do you know where you are right now?”

 

Inge scanned her surroundings, racking her brain for any clues. Finally, she admitted, “No, I don't.”

 

“Exactly. We're in Texas, dear, in a field just east of Houston. Or was it west? In any case, the wildflowers are lovely this time of year, aren't they?”

 

Inge nudged a blue flower with the toe of her shoe, “They are,” she agreed, “But they don't really help me find you.”

 

“No, they don't, but you already have something that will. What did I tell you about my necklace? It's the best clue you'll find, it will lead you to me if you let it. I also suggest searching my home in Folkvangr, you might find something there.”

 

“That's a start,” Inge said. 

 

“A damn good one-- most detectives don't have the victim coaching them through their investigation, you know.”

 

“Of course, thank you for the advice,” Inge was starting to figure out that the easiest way to have a conversation with Freya was to avoid looking at her at all costs. Every time she glanced in Freya’s direction, Inge would become hypnotized by the sunlight in her blond curls or the curve of her lips. 

 

She decided that she wasn't going to try to unpack those feelings or what they entailed anytime soon, she was already dealing with enough at the moment.

 

“I won't be able to help you much, though-- I'm weak right now as it is. Projecting into dreams isn't difficult magic, but it's still draining. This is probably the last conversation we'll have in a while.”

 

“I have one more question, then.”

 

“Ask me anything, dear.”

 

“What do I do with the magic wand?”

 

Freya frowned, “The what?”

 

“The… Gambanteinn? I thought you gave it to me, and that's why it showed up just before you did?”

 

Freya shook her head, “No, dear, that wasn't my doing. Gambanteinn chooses its own wielder, that's between you and it.”

 

 

Hearth was sitting at the breakfast table, absently tapping his spoon against the rim of his cereal bowl without actually eating. 

 

“You okay?” Blitz asked as he sat down across from Hearth with his own breakfast. 

 

“No,” no use in lying, his best friend always seemed to know what he was thinking anyway. 

 

“The quest?” 

 

Hearth glanced behind him, toward Inge still sleeping on the living room couch. “Yeah. The quest.”

 

Blitz pursed his lips, his eyes following Hearth's, “You know, I should go wake her up while she's trying to sleep in, see how she likes it…”

 

“Blitz…”

 

“Sorry,” Blitz sipped his tea before continuing with his initial train of thought, “What's on your mind?”

 

“I told you, the quest.” 

 

“I meant what about the quest?”

 

Blitz had that look in his soft brown eyes that usually made Hearth's heart melt, but right now it only made things worse. It was a look of concern, a look of caring, and it served to remind Hearth just how important Blitz was to him. 

 

And now he was going to be in danger again. 

 

The fact that they'd both survived their last adventure can only be described as pure luck. A second quest was just pushing it. Hearth couldn't stand the feeling of knowing he could lose Blitz at any minute, and he'd just volunteered to go through it all again. 

 

Not to mention, this time he had someone else to worry about. Adventuring with loved ones was hard enough when it was Blitz and Magnus on the line, and by that time Blitz was already an experienced adventurer (thanks to Mimir) and Magnus had a sentient magic sword to protect him. But Inge? Hearth's childhood best friend, the girl who he'd grown up with? It would be like traveling with his little sister! And all she had to protect herself was a magic wand she couldn't possibly know how to use yet. 

 

Hearth didn't explain all that. He didn't have to. Instead, he just signed, “I'm scared.”

 

Blitz nodded, “This stuff isn't easy.”

 

“I don't want you two getting hurt,” or worse Hearth thought, but he didn't add that part. 

 

“We've already done all this before, we can do it again-- and Inge is a strong girl, she's been through a lot. She can take care of herself. We'll all be okay” Blitz said. 

 

“You aren't scared?”

 

“No, I'm terrified,” Blitz laughed, “I just try not to think about it.”

 

Blitz tilted his head to look into the living room, and Hearth followed his gaze. Inge was just sitting up, bleary eyed and with probably the worst bed head Hearth had ever seen. 

 

“Good morning,” she signed with fumbling, not quite awake hands. She then pointed to Blitz, “I had a dream about your mom again.”

 

“Fantastic,” Blitz signed in the most sarcastic way possible, “Did she give you any clues?”

 

“She said we should go to Folkvangr,” Inge yawned, “Do you know how to get there?”

 

Blitz frowned, “Sadly, yes. We'll leave in an hour.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

Folkvangr was colder than Inge expected. Darker, too- the field they were standing in was bathed in a strange, purple sort of twilight. 

 

Blitz peered into the distance, then set out due east, motioning for Hearth and Inge to follow. 

 

“You couldn't have landed us closer to our destination?” Inge called after him, silently cursing herself for electing to wear flimsy flats. 

 

“We're in Folkvangr, aren't we?” 

 

Inge couldn't argue with that flawless logic. She turned to look at Hearth. He was walking next to her, allowing Blitz to take the lead. 

 

“Have you been here before?”

 

Hearth shook his head, “First time. Blitz doesn't like to visit,” he said. 

 

Not the ideal circumstances for a first visit, Inge thought to herself. Then, how many pleasant circumstances could there be for a visit to the afterlife? 

 

The wind picked up in the field, and Inge hugged herself. Her short sleeved dress was probably also not ideal adventuring attire. Come to think of it, she hadn't really prepared for much of anything on this quest. Blitz and Hearth both had small messenger bags filled with basic food and supplies, but Inge was armed with only her new wand and the lint in her pockets. 

 

Hearth seemed to notice her discomfort. “Are you cold?” he asked. 

 

Inge nodded, “Not exactly dressed for this weather,” she explained. 

 

Hearth looked at her for a second, as if debating something. He then unraveled the red and white scarf he was wearing from his own neck and tossed it to Inge, “Does that help?”

 

Inge wrapped the scarf around her shoulders as a makeshift shawl. It smelled like pine needles and woodsmoke, like Hearth. “thank you,” she said, silently praying to the gods that the low lighting hid her blush. 

 

Hearth kept looking at her, brow raised, for a moment before he turned is attention ahead, toward Blitz. 

 

Blitz had never much liked Folkvangr, but at least is was cheerful. Now, walking through a world that was so obviously dying, he couldn't help but be thankful for the way it looked before. They were coming up on Freya’s residence now, and Blitz could see the small crowd of people milling around near the entrance. They obviously knew something was wrong, and they'd be asking him to explain. Fantastic. Of course, they might have clues to give as well, so things weren't all bad. 

 

Blitz turned back to face the others, holding up his hands to suggest a plan. His suggestion, however, was cut short. 

 

“Is that Hearth's scarf?” he signed without even meaning to. 

 

Inge looked suddenly sheepish. Hearth shrugged, “She was cold,” he explained, “It's windy.”

 

Right, it was windy, and Inge was wearing a sundress. Of course she'd be cold. Why did it matter that she was wearing Hearth's scarf in the first place? That was a silly thing for Blitz to have commented on, really. 

 

Still, Blitz didn't take his eyes off of the scarf when he started explaining his idea. 

 

 

Blitz was right in assuming that he'd be swamped with worried citizens of Folkvangr. As he dealt with the crowd, Inge and Hearth slipped through the entryway to the main hall to search for clues as they'd been asked. 

 

Their footsteps echoed in the dim, empty space. Inge couldn't help but feel creeped out. Hearth set out to start looking, making his way first to the throne that Inge assumed belonged to Freya. Inge, on the other hand, stayed planted just steps ahead of the doorway, scanning the room around her. 

 

Once, while playing with Hearth and Andi in the woods behind Mr. Alderman’s house, Inge had come across an old club house. It had obviously been abandoned decades before, probably by the people who'd lived in the house before Hearth and Andi’s family moved in. 

 

The air inside the club house was damp and supernaturally still, and the entire place smelled of dust and neglect. The wooden boards that made up the house creaked, threatening to give out with every step Inge took. Spiderwebs spanned the ceiling, filling each corner with a thick white fog. There was still a faded pink plastic tea set on the table, as though the club house had been abandoned in the middle of a play date. 

 

The hall hadn't reached the disrepair that the clubhouse had, but it held the same aura of abandonment and lifelessness. 

 

When Inge finally made herself leave the doorway, she gravitated toward the out-but-still-warm hearth in the center of the room. Dust and ash scattered the floor around the fire pit, as if someone had been digging around in there. Inge looked up, intending to call Hearth's attention to the mess, but instead her eyes met something else entirely. 

 

A gray tabby about the size of a shed was stalking toward her with murder in her eyes. 

 

“Nice kitty! Good kitty!” Inge squeaked, stepping backwards until she bumped into Hearth, who'd apparently already noticed the giant cat and had a rune in his hand raised for battle. 

 

The ring on Inge’s hand became a wand again. She held it up defensively, but she didn't get a chance to use it before the cat swiped and sent her skittering across the room. 

 

Hearth threw up a wall of fire that singed the cat's whiskers and caused her to stumble backwards. He sprinted toward Inge, who was slowly rising to her feet, using the throne to support herself. 

 

“You okay?” Hearth asked once she was stable. 

 

Inge shook her head and raised her wand. The wall of fire had faded, and the cat was stalking toward them once more. 

 

It was at that moment Inge realized that she'd never actually used her wand before. 

 

Still, she had to try. She focused every ounce of her will power on one idea-- _Go. Away_. 

 

A bolt of blue shout out, hitting the cat in the chest. The cat flew through the air, hitting the wall beside the doorway. 

 

“What the fuck?!” Blitz jumped away from the cat, who was standing back up, entirely uninjured. He'd opened the door just in time to see the giant cat flying toward him, not something he'd consider the highlight of his day. 

 

“Blitzen!” Inge shouted, “Do something!” she kept her wand trained on the gray cat, who was once more lowering into pouncing position. 

 

“Hey!” Blitz called, and to his surprise the cat actually turned to look at him. 

 

“Uh…” Blitz faltered, “Heel! Down, girl!” Blitz threw a frantic look to Hearth and Inge, who seemed just about as confused as he was. 

 

“I think she likes you!” Inge called. 

 

Hearth smacked Inge’s arm to get her attention, “It's his mom's cat!” he realized, “that's why!”

 

The cat was staring at blitz now, head cocked with interest. Hearth and Inge gave Blitz an encouraging thumbs up. 

 

“The elf and the hulder are your friends! We're, uh, we're trying to find your mommy! You want us to find your mommy, right?” Blitz’s rambling seemed to working, because the cat was getting calmer by the second. 

 

The cat inched toward Blitz, purring loud enough to shake the room. She nudged Blitz in the chest, causing him to stumble back a little. 

 

“I think she wants you to pet her,” Inge suggested. She and Hearth were still standing next to the throne, backs against the wall. Inge kept her wand raised. 

 

Blitz did as Inge suggested, reaching up to scratch the cat behind the ears. The purring got louder, and the cat's eyes closed in satisfaction. Blitz motioned Inge and Hearth over to him so that they could talk now that the coast was clear. 

 

“Did you two find anything?” Blitz asked, speaking out loud because his left hand was currently occupied keeping a room-sized cat under control. 

 

Hearth shook his head, “We were a little busy,” he explained, nodding to the cat just in time for her to collapse at Blitz’s feet. 

 

Inge knelt beside the cat and started petting her under the chin as a sort of apology for shooting magic at her earlier. It was the cat's house, after all. 

 

Hearth was the only one that continued to glare at the cat in contempt. 

 

“What about you?” Inge asked, “Did you learn anything?”

 

“As a matter of fact, I did!” Blitz’s chest puffed up a little with pride, “There were some witnesses to the kidnapping, and they said that the saw a bear carry off my mom and vanish into the world tree.”

 

“And they didn't stop it?” Hearth asked. 

 

“They tried,” Blitz shrugged, “Apparently it was a really big bear.”

 

“So we need to find a kidnapping bear. That's easy enough” Inge said. 

 

“It was probably a giant,” Hearth suggested. 

 

Blitz shook his head, “That's a possibility, which means we should probably head to Jotunheim.”

 

“What are we going to do with the cat?” Inge asked. She'd taken to resting her cheek on the cat's fuzzy neck, so that she could continue to give it affection while freeing up her hands to sign while she spoke. 

 

“Nothing? The cat stays here.” Hearth said. 

 

“But she's cute! And she might be able to help us.” having a truck sized guard-cat on their side seemed to Inge like a pretty good idea. 

 

“Inge--” Blitz started. 

 

“We should name her! I like the name Frog.”

 

Blitz pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay. First of all, that's not your cat. You can't name a cat that's not yours, because it's-- I repeat-- not your cat.”

 

Inge started to respond, but Blitz cut her off, “Second, you can't name a cat frog, because that name is already taken. By frogs. That's an animal already.”

 

Inge huffed, “I like frogs--”

 

“I'm not done yet! Third: that's my mom's cat. You can't adopt a cat that someone already owns and is taking care of. That's called stealing, and it's a crime.”

 

“We're not going to steal Frog! We should just take her with us! In case we need her.”

 

Blitz blinked, “We're not taking my mother's cat to Jotunheim, Inge.”

 

“No cats,” Hearth agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know the striped scarf got destroyed, Blitz got him a new one


	5. Chapter 5

“This… isn't Jotunheim,” Inge frowned. 

 

“No it isn't,” Blitz looked just as confused as Inge was. 

 

“Wait a minute--” Inge swiveled her head, scanning her surroundings, “Where's Hearth?!”

 

Blitz’s eyes widened, “Oh shit,” he whispered, “He must still be on the world tree-- where did we come through from?! We need to go--”

 

Blitz’s panic was interrupted by the soft thud of a falling elf landing in a pile at his feet. Hearth raised his arms just enough to weakly sign, “I'm okay.”

 

Inge kneeled down to pick a leaf out of Hearth's hair, “what happened?”

 

“Landed on top of a tree,” Hearth explained, still lying on his back, “Couldn't climb down. Had to jump.”

 

Blitz winced, “Sorry, buddy,” he said, holding out a hand to help Hearth up, “I could have sworn we jumped into Jotunheim,”

 

“Looks like Midgard,” Hearth said once he'd brushed himself off. 

 

“Sure does, but not any part of Midgard we've ever visited,” Blitz frowned. 

 

They were standing in a forest, and by the look of the light it was just before nightfall. There was a biking path just a few feet from where they were standing, so obviously there was some form of civilization nearby. 

 

Inge decided to take the initiative and headed toward the bike trail, reasoning that if they walked along it for long enough they'd eventually figure out where they were. 

 

It was about an hour later that the trio got their answer. They found themselves leaning against the counter of a quaint gift shop. 

 

“Run this by me one more time,” the tired looking woman behind the counter said, “The three of you don't have any kind of car…?”

 

“Correct.”

 

“You've never been to Wyoming before now?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“And you just wandered into Yellowstone national park by chance?”

 

“Three for three, yes ma’am.” Blitz was starting to wish he had Magnus around, someone who had more experience with Midgard. 

 

“And you need directions to… A history museum.” Blitz had mentioned that it'd be difficult to jump back into the world tree so far away from Boston, but if they could find something with any kind of connection to the nine worlds they might be able to use it to jump. Hearth had suggested looking for that connection in a history museum. 

 

“The museum isn't a requirement,” Inge said, “If you could just direct us to a hotel, that would be lovely.” planning could be done in the morning, Inge was exhausted. 

 

“Or a Dennys,” Hearth suggested. When blitz and Inge stared at him, dumbfounded, Hearth shrugged, “What? I'm hungry!”

 

The tired looking woman sighed, “Y'all got money, don't you?”

 

Blitz lit up, “We do have that! We do have money.”

 

I don't have any money, Inge mouthed, looking concerned. 

 

Blitz waved her off, “I got it.”

 

The tired woman pulled a map from a nearby rack and a ballpoint pen from a cup on the desk. She spread out the map and marked their current location, as well as the locations of a few nearby hotels and a Dennys. “Y'all are just gonna have to Google that history museum thing,” She said when she'd finished. 

 

“Thank you very much,” Blitz said, folding up the map, “We're really sorry to have been such a bother.”

 

“At least you were nice about it-- y'all would not believe the kinds of customers I get in here sometimes.” 

 

While the tired woman was showing Blitz and Inge the map, Hearth had taken the opportunity to grab some supplies from around the store-- a protein bar here, a pocket knife there. You can never be too prepared. 

 

When Hearth unloaded his haul on the counter to be paid for, Blitz gave it a once over and held up his hand in a ‘just a minute’ gesture. He left the group, returning a couple seconds later with a light blue Yellowstone hoodie, which he tossed to Inge. 

 

“What…?”

 

“You said you were cold.”

 

Armed with their map and newfound supplies, the three of them set out down the road. After about half a mile of walking, Inge reached into her pocket and pulled out Freya’s necklace. 

 

“Hey, Blitzen? You wouldn't happen to have any idea how this thing works, would you?”

 

“Well, it's a necklace. Generally people wear them on their necks.”

 

Inge rolled her eyes, but Blitz wasn't looking at her to see it, “Freya said that it would help us find her. It's gotta have some kind of magic, right?” 

 

“If it's magic you should probably ask Hearth. He's the expert.”

 

Inge took a deep breath, trying to ignore the fact that Blitz hadn't stopped being difficult for nearly twenty four hours now. “You've got a bigger connection to Freya than either of us do, so if anyone here can figure out how to get this thing to… I don't know, do anything, it'd probably be you.”

 

Blitz didn't seem to be able to argue with that logic. He held out his hand to take the necklace. 

 

“Huh.”

 

“What?”

 

“It's… Humming. It's almost like it's trying to say something to me.”

 

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of heavy footsteps behind them. Blitz and Inge turned around, and Hearth followed suit when he saw them turning. 

 

“Oh what the fuck” Inge muttered. 

 

“You wanna try to befriend this one too?” Blitz forced a laugh, stepping back. The only weapon he had on him at the moment was a gift shop pocket knife and a handful of ducks, and he didn't think either of those things gave him much of a chance at the moment. 

 

Walking toward them was the biggest bear that any of them had ever seen. (not that any of them had seen many bears outside from the occasional trip to the zoo) It was probably twice the size of Frog. 

 

What was really distressing, though, was the bears eyes. They were unmistakably human, bright icy blue with visible whites and an intelligence behind them that made inges blood run cold. 

 

Yet Inge felt herself step forward. Her ring once more morphed into a wand, which she raised into a fighting stance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hearth reaching into his rune bag, and Blitz taking out a fistfull of… wait, what? 

 

“What's with the ducks?” Inge made the mistake of turning her head to ask. She didn't see the bear taking a swipe at her, so she was surprised to find herself flying through the air and into a nearby tree. 

 

Blitz managed to hit the bear with an expandoduck before he was charged at and sent skittering across the street and directly into inges freshly cracked ribs. Hearth ran after the two of them, apparently paying no heed to the beat on his heels. As Inge rose to her feet to confront the beast, Hearth came to a sliding stop next to the unconscious Blitzen. He started to search through his runes for a healing spell when the bear drove its incisors through his shoulder. By the bear’s standards it was just a nip, but it left a nasty would and started a stream of emerald blood down Hearth's jacket. 

 

“NO!” Inge shouted, raising her wand once more. As she did, the wand changed once more into a full sized sword made of the same polished wood as both the ring and the wand. A string of glimmering blue traced the swords path through the air, splitting a seam in space that slowly expanded until it engulfed Inge, Hearth, and Blitz. The three of them fell a few feet through empty space before collapsing in a pile in what seemed to be a grassy field, empty save for one large tree. 

 

“What the hell?!” 

 

Inge turned her head toward the vaguely familiar voice. Exhausted and disoriented, she couldn't place a name to the face in front of her. 

 

Still, she knew exactly what to say. 

 

“Heal them first,” she coughed before falling completely unconscious. 

 


End file.
